Poison
by hagraeven
Summary: What will happen when Harley shows up beaten and devastated on Ivy's door yet again? Please review. Note: I recently changed my username to Hagraeven to match other accounts.
1. The Same Story Again and Again

Same Story Again and Again...

Ivy sat alone in the darkened room. Waiting. There was nothing particularly interesting in the news. Surprisingly, the humans weren't up to some evil plan to use her brothers and sisters for their own gain. A sigh goes past her unpainted lips. Yes she was glad that her babies weren't suffering at the hand of man, but she couldn't simply sit here all day. What would there be to do? Maybe she could gather intelligence on the activities of the humans. See if she could help the environment in some small way. Just as she is moving to go to her desk she hears a noise near the entrance of her hideout. Her body tenses; brain going into fight or flight mode. Maybe that nuisance of a bat has finally found her hideout. But why? Especially now when he should be having his hands full with the joker's recent decision to steal funds from the Gotham City Bank. She approaches the door, but not off-guard. She doesn't call out to see who they might be; lest she expose herself. Although she doesn't have to wait for very long.

Another sigh passes her unpainted lips. Harley stood there, her tears mixing with black makeup and staining her cheeks. It's the same story. Over and over and over again. Her fists tremble. "Again?" It's all she says. It's all that she can say. The figure before her nods, her now messy ponytails swaying with the motion of her head. Harley's biting her trembling lower lip. No matter how many times she showed up at her doorstep like this, it was always a shock to the system to see her like this. Harley's usual jovial persona replaced by sadness, and shame, and fear. Ivy's heart hurt at the sight of her. Harley is such an intelligent woman. A strong and beautiful person that doesn't deserve this. None of this. "I'll kill him." Ivy's voice is dark, it's low and rough.

At her threat Harley's groveling at her feet. Her arms wrap loosely around her waist. She's crying full force again. "No please! Mr. J Didn't mean anything by it! I mean whateva' happened it was my fault! My fault I tell ya'! Please don't go after him!" Her pleas degrade into near unintelligible begging. Ivy breathes in deeply and helps her up.

She holds unto her arms, and looks into her eyes. "Harley, I promise that I won't go after the joker for hurting you. Please, just come in. Are you hungry? Injured?" She helps her inside. Harley leans unto Ivy for support. She limps inside the small space. She nearly collapses unto the bed the Ivy sleeps in. Ivy sits at her desk, a bit of a smile on her lips when she hears a little bit of snoring coming from the mattress. The smile contrasted with the sadness in her eyes.


	2. Never Again

Ivy appeared to be relatively calm. Her hands cupped a mug of plain water. Her eyes are on Harley's sleeping form. It's been more than a day by now. If her internal clock is right, then she's been asleep for about thirty-six or seven hours. It worries her, Harley's come home- Harley's come to her hideout like this before. But never had she slept so long. She sets her mug down, a small sigh leaving her lips. Although she found that she hadn't done this in… years, maybe. Many years, she found herself silently looking up and sending up a prayer. Her desperation was killing her.

She waits, and waits. Five hours later she sees her body stirring on the bed. She doesn't get her hopes up, but she also forces herself not to worry about her state. As Harley slowly starts to sit up, Ivy breaths out a sigh of relief.

"Hey Red." Harley calls out groggily as she wipes her eyes.

"Are you hungry?" Her voice comes out harsher than she expected. In a way she's glad. She hates sounding like she actually cares one way or another.

"Yeah. A little bit…" Harley shrugs off her covers. Her makeup's still smeared, a grotesque reminder of her previous state. Suddenly her eyes are wide in a panic. Ivy immediately tenses, in case she needs to be near her side to help her. "Mr. J. He needs me. I-I can't believe I was gone for so long!" Harley quickly throws the covers off of herself. She rushes to go to the bathroom. "I've gotta' get dressed-" She stops at the feeling of a hand restraining her. "Red?" She turns to her curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Harley you're in no state to go off and parade around with the joker." Her feet dig into the ground, "Besides…" She tries to think like Harley, "You'd be of no help to him… And he's probably not even ready to take you back yet. Stay here and rest a while." Her voice softens, "You need it." Her arm slides down, releasing hers. Releasing her arm and giving her the option to leave or stay. Whatever Harley did, Ivy wanted it to be of her own will.

There a silence between them. Then Harley shifts, and she looks up at her. "Yeah. You're right." Her voice is softer and there's a hint of a smile on her face.

Ivy glances up from her computer screen as Harley exits the shower. A trail of steam briefly follows her, making the surface of her skin seem to glow. Her hair's wrapped up in a towel. Over her body is a white button down shirt that's a bit too large. Ivy pretends to work furiously at what she's doing. Beside her sat an apple, which she raises to Harley. "You hungry?"

Harley smiles, "Hey, ain't that your people?" Harley grins before taking the apple from her hand.

"The apple is a growth upon the plant. Eating the apple doesn't kill the tree. Besides, I need to get my nutrients from somewhere."

Harley shrugs before sitting on her desk. She's all smiles now. She's humming and them begins to bite into the fruit. Ivy glances toward her to tell her to get off the desk. She pauses when Harley crosses her legs. She can make out the purplish discoloration of bruises along her calves and hips. When Harley raises her arm to take another bite of the apple her sleeve falls back a little. It's not a lot, but enough to see that there's purplish on her arms too, starting from her wrists.

Ivy looks at Harley, the calm mask on her face melting way. "Harley…" Ivy gets from her chair to examine her. Maybe she lacked a little… subtlety in this situation. But seeing her like that made it impossible to handle it delicately. "Did he do this?"

Immediately Harley gets a shameful expression. Her eyes look into Ivy's pleadingly and there's a painful looking grimace on her lips. Her hands clutch the apple defensively and her body seems to curl into itself. "Yeah. I mean, I was being dumb. You know?" She scratches nervously at her wrist, "I just kept screwing up this combination and I took so long the cops came and our heist was a bust."

"Harley!" Ivy shakes her hands. "When are you going to stop this?! Huh?"

Harley bites her lip, "You've got to give Mr. J some slack he's under a lot of stress and-and I haven't been as on top of things as I should!"

Ivy's heart sinks. Harley doesn't deserve this. She never did. And she's capable of doing so much, if only she didn't let herself get held back time and time again. Ivy's fists clench, "When are you going to stop making excuses for him?" Her voice is rough, and loud. Her anger is growing, her anger at the situation, at Harley, at the Joker. "You're disassociating from your pain! You're putting yourself in his shoes when you need to be in your own. How long are you going to let this go on? Until he _kills_ you?!"

"He loves me!"

"Even if he did love you it's not alright." Ivy steps closer, "Besides he doesn't love you, he owns you." He voice wavers at the last word in her sentence.

Harley covers her face "It ain't true, it ain't true. It's not his fault."

Ivy digs into her desk drawer and pulls out a switchblade. "Alright, you're pissing me off, so if I stab you it's not my fault right? I can't control myself."

"Red. Stop it!"

She puts the blade in Harley's hand. "Go on, Harley, you're upset, stab me. Hit me, throw me off the roof! It's okay. You're upset, so I deserve what's coming."

Harleys clenches the knife in her hands. She throws it down, it meets the floor with a loud clang and thump. In her eyes, it's like something finally clicked. Similar to when a broken machine finally starts working again. Harley throws her arms around Ivy. "You're right Ivy. You're right. I don't know why I can't stay away. It's like-like I can't help myself."

Ivy hugs her close. "I know Harley." Her breath is heavy. As the adrenaline fades so does her anger. "I'm sorry."

Harley shakes her head before looking to the women whom she affectionately calls Red. "No. Don't be." There's determination in her voice, an unwavering sense of will. There's a silence between them. It's some unspoken message that said so much. Ivy could almost hear the sounds of bonds releasing. Harley isn't going back. She understood it clearly in this moment. And it was a moment of joy, clarity, of peace of mind. She doesn't know if Harley's resolve will stay, but right now it was enough. For her, and more importantly for Harley.

Harley's eyes flick downward toward Ivy. And Ivy vice versa. They stand there unmoving. They draw in a breath simultaneously, but their silence is cut by a beeping sound. Harley flinches at the sound. She turns toward the direction, already knowing that it was her communicator. Ivy bites her lip in her anxiousness as to what Harley will do.

Harley turns away from the device. "Never again." She begins to tear up, falling into Ivy's arms again. She sobs, a heartbreaking sound.

"It's alright." Ivy pats the back of her head gently. A comforting gesture she never did for someone else. Right now, those walls she built around herself didn't matter. Harley's safe, and she needs help, a lot of help. If she was coming to her for it then so be it. She'd be the best she could be for her. "Never again."


	3. Bruce On the Case

Harley sat by herself. Her hair covering her eyes. She idly blew it away from her face. Her body ached, it needed to move, to run and stretch. It was painfully boring to sit all day. She almost turns on the T.V. to see if her beloved Mr. J was up to something. But she knows that it'd just tempt her. She couldn't afford to risk it.

She chews on the fingernail of her thumb. Mr. J was probably getting lonely now. How long has it been? She tries to count the days in her head but it all seemed like a bit of a blur. With a pang of guilt in her chest she notices that she can't count the days she's been here. It's because she's enjoyed being away from Mr. J. How could she like being away from him? Her eyes widen in a panic. What if he's forgotten about her? What if he's parading around some other hussy who can't do her job like she can?

Harley stands up, her body momentarily shaking. Her hands twitch. She needs a distraction. She heads into the bathroom to work on her makeup. She hasn't been Harley Quinn in far too long.

...

Bruce sat in front of the bat computer with a pensive look on his face. The colors of the screen bathing his face in a faint blue light. He hums to himself, leaning forward chin in hands to further analyze a clump of data.

He'd previously apprehended the Joker about two weeks ago. It'd been a failed attempt at robbing Gotham city bank. Strangely his usual partner in crime had been absent from the entire thing. This happened rarely. There's also been no sign of anyone attempting to help the Joker to escape from Arkham. _Yet._

He finds it incredibly perplexing. It's almost like Harley Quinn was avoiding the twisted clown. His eyes narrow in thought. _Or_ the two had something planned. The latter in his mind seemed far more likely.

The Batcave was empty, even of Alfred. The silence was a roar in his ears. A reminder of his self-imposed loneliness. He began working furiously, the strangeness of this case egging him on further. Why would Harley Quinn, the Joker's most loyal henchman wait so long to help him escape?

...

"There." She smiles at her handy work. Just as she exits the bathroom she spots Ivy coming in through the doorway.

Ivy's eyebrow raises in question. The skintight outfit and the clown makeup all over her face was a sure sign that she was getting restless. "What's all this?" She says with a smirk.

She slowly walks up to Poison Ivy. When she's within a breath's length of her she rests her hand on her shoulder. "What I can't look sexy for my Red?" At that Ivy's breath leaves her erratically. Her hearts thrums lightly in her chest, something she was sure that Harley could feel.

"Huh?"

Harley lets out a loud and shrieking laugh. "Ah. I was just messin' with ya Red!" She nudges her side.

At that Ivy grows angry. How dare she make fun of her like that? How could she play with her feelings? Did she think this was some sort of game for her? Did she think that she could say anything and it'd never hurt her? She was angry at the thought of Harley playing with her like that. Her hands clenched in fists. This wasn't like Poison Ivy. To get so emotional. But what Harley'd said struck something inside her. And she was furious. "Rub it in even more won't you?!"

Harley's eyes widen in surprise at her words, "I'm-I'm sorry Red. I was just jokin'." She looks down at the floor, "I never meant to hurt you." Suddenly it's quiet in the room. Ivy couldn't stand hearing those words right now. They echoed in her ears and suddenly it's like she's suffocating in her house.

"Let's get out of here. I can tell you were planning something." She knew of course that the get up wasn't really for her. She herself was already ready for a fight.

Harley looks to her in excitement, "I've got something planned alright. It's going to be really good Red." A devious smile snakes its way onto her face. ''I heard they're making plant based chemicals at Ace. They're pretty toxic. Upon impact they explode and let out a toxic gas said to either kill or knock the target unconscious. I heard they're being used to create biological weapons."

Ivy herself feels an intense need to get a hold of those chemicals. Right now she was awfully glad that she'd given Harley immunity to plant toxins. "Lead the way."

...

"You know all work and no play is no way to live."

Bruce turns in alarm toward the voice. He was greeted with blue eyes and black hair. And that stupid S on his chest. His eyes narrow. The one person who could get past his defenses. His shoulders lose their tenseness. "Hello Clark." His voice is far from welcoming.

Superman hovers closer to the computer, deciding to pull up a chair a sit beside him. "Hello Bruce." He mocks his cold unwelcoming tone. "I'd thought you'd be more welcoming after-"

Bruce sends him a look signaling that he should stop talking right there. "Isn't Lois in need of saving from her hair dryer?"

"I find that incredibly sexist." Superman huffs.

Bruce rolls his eyes, "I meant Lois is awfully delicate and finds herself needing to be rescued every other week not the entire female population."

Superman crosses his arms, "Whatever… sexist."

Bruce throws his hands up in the air. His frustration showing through. At that Superman laughs, "Gotcha." He chides playfully. Bruce sends him a death stare before turning back to his computer. Superman can only smile, knowing that he's cracked through the shell. He pretends to look at his hands casually, "She's the reason I've come here." His voice is heavy, as if it's full of painful emotions that haven't been let free in a long time.

Bruce's eyebrow raises in curiosity, "Trouble in paradise?"

Clark clears his throat before speaking, "I've come to realize that she's… well she was a crush. I was new to the city, she was beautiful and smart and I couldn't get her out of my head. When she fell for Superman well I was overjoyed."

Bruce grunts in response, pretending to focus on his work.

"But I realized how she treated Clark. Because he was meek, an easy target she picked on him a lot. She wasn't as wonderful of a person as I'd initially thought. Superman, Clark Kent, and Kal-el they're all a part of me. And she doesn't love every part. And I, don't love every part of her. In fact I don't think I loved her at all. Or maybe I did but it wasn't meant to last. Because when I look at her that spark is gone. And it's been gone for long while."

Bruce's fists clench and he glares up at Superman. "If you've come here to dish out on your relationship problems I'm not the person you want."

"That's not true. And you're the only one who listens."

Bruce turns back to his monitor, "Fine continue. But your words are hitting deaf ears."

Just as Clark's about to continue he's cut off by the sound of an alarm.

They both tense, rapidly getting up from their seats. Before they can begin looking for a fight Alfred comes in through the doorway. "Master Bruce," He already knows of Superman's knowledge of Bruce's secret identity, "There appears to be a robbery taking place at the Ace chemical plant.

Bruce turns to the monitor, which read the same thing. _So that's what set the alarm off,_ he thinks hurriedly. "Where'd I leave the cowl?" He asks himself aloud.

Alfred holds it up, "I have it for you Sir."

"Thanks Alfred." He quickly puts the mask on before head out the door, Superman in tow.

...

Author's note:

(edit: erased my breaks in the chapter and I didn't notice this earlier.) I usually don't make these since I like for the reader to experience pure uninhibited reading. But I did want to make several comments on this chapter in case questions came up. Also this chapter was written a little differently than the rest. It has been confirmed by writers of DC that poison Ivy is bisexual. Also I felt as though Batman and Superman are unlikely friends. I know that he and Superman don't seem to get along in the comics, but there was always that begrudging friendship between them.


	4. The Things I Never Said

Warning. This chapter contains violence.

Poison Ivy eye's nearly gleamed at what she saw. It was beautiful. Mesmerizing. "Ay Red! We ain't got all day." She's snapped out of her reverie by Harley Quinn's voice.

"Oh yes." She grabs the case carefully slipping it out from the vault. It was heavy, extremely so, and rather large. It seems as if Ace wanted to keep samples on hand instead of big vats. Meaning this could be a part of their sole supply. Which would be odd, but it'd make sense. No sense in storing large amounts of incredibly expensive and volatile chemicals all at once. But there must be another supply somewhere. She moves about an inch, and suddenly an alarm is pounding in their ears.

Harley glares at Poison Ivy, "Might as well call up Bat Brain himself!" She begins to run, knowing that Ivy will be right by her side.

A woman in a police uniform stops in front of her, demanding for her to halt. She sprints forward, propelling herself into a flip, grabbing the officer's shoulder's mid-rotation and slamming them to the ground. Ivy can't help but grin and follow her very closely behind.

They're panting as they sprint. Although they uncharacteristically let out a bubbly chuckle. This day was so similar to their first meeting. It was funny.

…

Bruce hurls himself into the Batmobile. So far no intel' on the suspects of the crime were available. Although it was extremely volatile plant toxins that had been stolen, giving him an inkling that Pamela Isley was involved in the crime.

Superman hadn't thought much about it, he'd simply joined Bruce in the vehicle. Figuring they'd get there in due time. This earned him a strange look from Bruce. "Can't you fly?" He nearly growls at Clark.

"Just drive." He shoots back. He examines Bruce's face. His jaw was hard set and his eyes narrowed. He possessed that tame anger that felt so threatening. Clark looks down at his hands again before closing his eyes. He wanted to help his friend to not be so bitter. He wanted Bruce to be happy, but he'd never say it. They were rivals, enemies, night and day, dark and light, incompatible, destined to hate each other. At least it looked like that on the outside. But together they made the world's greatest team.

He's snapped out of his thoughts as the Batmobile slides to a stop. They'd gotten here incredibly fast. He remembers the task at hand and gets out of the car. He puts on his bravest face and prays that this will be over with soon. Bruce approaches one of the officers parked outside of the Ace Chemical plant. "Information. Now."

The cop looks at him indignantly. He seems like he's about to tell him of, but Commissioner Gordon shoots the officer a look. Gordon walks up to Batman, eyebrow cocking in surprise at the sight of Superman standing beside him. But he knows better than to question it. "Apparently Poison Ivy has broken into Ace, stealing very dangerous, very volatile chemicals that can be used as biological weapons. And she has someone with her, Harley Quinn."

The moment he said that name it all made sense to Bruce. "Are they still inside?"

"Yes.

Batman says no more. He walks past Gordon, Superman following suite.

…

Harley Quinn skids to a stop. There in front of her stood a blockade of officers. "Dammit!"

"Put your hands up and surrender! Drop the case carefully!" Harley's about to move, until they train their guns on her. "Do not try to escape. You are surrounded!"

Ivy sees that there's no escape, and she sighs angrily. There has to be a way out. She couldn't let her and Harley rot back in Arkham. Having to plan their next escape and trying not to kill the abusive guards. Even worse, Harley would be near the Joker. She was absolutely sure that Harley'd give into that strong a temptation. Ivy couldn't let Harley do that to herself again, not after she's learned that this is what Harley truly desired. Freedom from that lousy excuse for even a human.

She spots a few vines growing outside the window. She moves to set the case down, the moment it touches the floor vines shatter through the window panes. Disarming the officers and hoisting them high up in the air. She doesn't kill them, there's no need. She keeps them suspended there while running to the back entrance. Harley Quinn follows closely by her side. She doesn't spare a look toward her, but if she did, she'd see the look of fear in Harley's eyes. They'd almost gone back to Arkham, a fate she wouldn't wish on her worst of enemies.

Poison Ivy kicks in the secluded exit. Running at full speed in any direction away from the building.

…

"The situation has been compromised!" Bruce hears Gordon's voice echoing from his communicator.

"Where are they?" He growls into the machine.

"Outside the building, heading southeast. They were last spotted on Kirkland."

Batman puts away the communicator, before breaking out in a sprint in the direction. "Here." Superman holds out his hand.

"What is it?"

"Grab on, It'll be faster if I take us there." There isn't time to argue so he begrudgingly takes a hold of his hand. He grits his teeth at the feeling, pushing it down and deep as he could. Before he can think more of it they're airborne.

He's breathless for a moment, yes he's used to gliding with his cape and swinging from his grappling hook but this? This was a hew experience all together. He was flying, faster than jet plane, the wind stung the exposed skin of his face. And He felt the pressure against his suit. Never had he experienced what he felt now. And it was marvelous. Although he can't think too much on it, they have a very important task at hand.

Superman looks down at the ground, along with Batman they notice the perpetrators fleeing the scene. Superman swoops down, making sure to carefully bring Batman down to the ground. Before Harley or Ivy can turn around Batman's hurling himself toward Ivy, knowing that it's important to incapacitate her first.

…

Harley stops as Red tumbles to the ground. She sees that it's that pain in the ass Batman who's got her. She hurls a hard kick toward his head while he's struggling to pin down Ivy. It's a hard kick, aimed right at the part of his face unprotected by the cowl. This incapacitates Batman but only for a moment. Just as he's getting up and preparing to fight Harley Superman rushes in. They glance at each other assigning who'd take on who with only their eyes. All the while Batman's bottom lip is swelling. Blood is dripping down his chest from his mouth. He was still a little dizzy and unprepared. Which aids Harley in catching him off guard.

Harley swings her leg again at Batman, catching his legs and effectively tripping him. Batman gets up quickly, faster than she expected and delivers a painful blow to her chest. She staggers but doesn't hesitate to flip backwards, and away from Batman. He pulls out his grappling hook, pulling her back to him, simultaneously raising his fist to deliver a devastating blow to her jaw. There's almost the sound of a crunch beneath his knuckles at they make contact with Harley's face. She howls in pain, but doesn't give up. Using her momentum toward him hold his arm and pull it back painfully. There's a pop. And Batman howls himself.

Harley uses the distraction to get away, hiding somewhere in an abandoned warehouse nearby.

Meanwhile Superman's battling away the vines that Ivy decided to release on him. They're large and covered in lethal thorns. He's thankful for his Kryptonian heritage that prevented them from penetrating his skin. He systematically tears each one apart. They were as thick around as a tree.

He hears the screams of pain coming from Ivy each time he rips apart one of the vines. He never knew that she was connected this much to the plants, so much so that she felt their pain. For a moment he feels guilt for having caused her this amount of suffering. But nevertheless he fights on because he has no choice.

She surges toward him, her vines encompassing his body. He can't rip them apart with his bare hands fast enough so he turns to his laser eyes to tear them down. It only seemed as if more grew back from every one he destroyed with his laser beams. He tries to break free of them but his efforts were fruitless. The vines ripped at his costume. Shreds falling to the ground. Ivy laughs at his efforts to escape, enjoying seeing her enemy being defeated so easily before her eyes. She will do everything in her to

power to protect Harley, to keep her happy. If that involved putting her life on the line to defeat the man of steel then so be it.

Batman shoves the joint back in place, there's a quick burst of pain that fades into a very painful blunt throbbing. But he ignores it. He sprints toward the warehouse where Harley was hiding. When he's near the entrance he spots Ivy's vines engulfing Clark. How strong were they? To be able to overwhelm him, Superman of all people like that? Something's different with Ivy, she was stronger, more ruthless. Inside of him bubbles up a panic that he's not used to feeling as the Dark Knight. Clark seemed to be struggling to free himself, he doubts that Ivy could kill him but still there's the possibility…

Suddenly there stand two choices before him. Apprehend Harley or help Clark? He looks into the warehouse. He grunts in frustration before running toward the vines and pulling out a mini-grenade. Before he can release the pin there's a loud thwack. His vision goes blurry and there's this horrible pain radiating through his skull. His knees goes weak and he falls the ground. His visions fades in and out, the pain getting worse as time passed. How much time passed?

Superman watches this all through a small slit in the vines. He sees the baseball bat hit his head. He sees Bruce fall to the ground. Immediately he's overwhelmed with emotion. His body burns in sadness and rage. Harley stood over him, a grin on her face.

His eyes are a continuous glow of red. He roars, tearing his arms free of Ivy's vines. She gasps in horror, before immediately rushing to escape with Harley. But Superman's emotions are unbridled. Seeing his friend so vulnerable, so utterly defeated, so… fragile and inescapably human. It set something off in him, a flurry of emotions the stormed inside of him. But it was blinding and senseless. He had lost control.

He grabbed Ivy, pinning her to the wall and tying her up in lightning speed. Harley Quinn was slipperier.

…

Harley watched as Superman tied up Ivy. Something in her chest hurt. It was an inescapable pain. Something she was familiar with and felt many times in her lifetime. Although not like this, not this intensely.

With tears in her eyes she tries to evade Superman, despite knowing her efforts were likely futile she keeps going. Making her way onto the roof of the warehouse. He catches up the acrobat. Like she expected. But still she tried her best to evade him. And she managed to for a while. Sprinting and running and flipping away from the alien.

Until the felt a sharp pain ripping through her side.

She gasps, the air leaving her lungs from the impact. Her vision swims and she's so disoriented that she can't move her limbs. She glances down, her mind barely registering the sharp broken beam jutting from the roof. It had bent upward, and went completely through her side. In a daze she notices the blood pooling at her feet.

Ivy watches this all unfold before her eyes. She'd been trying to catch up to the caped crusader but failed. Miserably. She screams, running as fast as she can to the decrepit roof. It's not long before she reaches Harley's side. "You're okay Darling. You're fine you-" Her feet are wet. And warm. She looks down and it's Harley's blood that she's standing in. It's spreading out, and dripping off the roof.

She stares down at it. Her eyes blank. She's failed. She's failed to protect Harley and because of her inability she's been hurt. She may even die. No she can't hear that word. She can't even think it. Not Harley, perfect, intelligent, resourceful, to fucking good for this world Harley.

"Red?" Harley's voice trembles. Ivy can hear the amount of fear she felt.

"Yes?" She supports Harley, who was finding it difficult to stand on her own. And by the looks of it breath.

Despite their duties, despite their obligations to catch the two criminals, Batman and Superman stand there, letting them say their peace. Because they know what's happening. It's over for her, for Harley.

Harley sucks in a breath, but it sounds off. It's a wheezing airy sound. "You're a g-great friend. Ya' know that? All these years, You've been trying to save me from Mr. J. Hell, from myself too. You've been so d-devoted to me. And... and I know why. I always knew." She coughs, blood spattering from her mouth. It seems like she was forcing the words to leave her body. "You're in love with me Red. It's as obvious as the rising of the sun. I tried to tell myself otherwise but I couldn't. I was a psychologist y'know. I was too aware of what I was doin' to push it down. "

Her heart stammers, "Harley, we need to get you treated."

"Ah Red I'm done for." She puts a hand to the wound on her lower torso, trying to stop the flow of blood. "I just wanted to say my peace before I leave you behind." Tear well up in her eyes but she hold them back. She bites her lip to keep from crying. Harley never thought it'd end like this. So soon. In some trivial battle for some trivial chemicals. In so much pain and so much blood. But at least someone she loved was by her side in the end.

"Shut up!" She turns to the Heroes, "Help her! Please!" Batman shakes his head, sadly. There was nothing he could do. And that simple gesture made that as clear as day. Ivy runs up to him. Pounding on his chest. "You put on that crazy Bat costume because you wanted to help people right?! Be a hero? Then help! HELP HER you useless fucking Bat." She sinks to the floor in hysteria.

Batman stands there seemingly stoic. But he felt for the two. It saddened him to see Harley die. More than he cared to admit. Superman's distress showed more outwardly, especially as he tries to think of a way to help. But comes up with blanks.

"Hey Red come back here." Harley calls her over.

Ivy obeys, slinking her way over to her dying companion. She takes her free hand in hers. "Yes?"

Harley looks like she's mulling something over in her head, but then she turns to Red. If she says this now, will it just make it worse for Ivy? She doesn't know but it needs saying. "I just may have been crazy for ya' too." She says quietly. Ivy stands there, in shock. Harley... felt for her? No... No. It couldn't be. All these years wasted pining for someone she thought would never love her, when all the while Harley had felt the same.

"Come on Harley, We're getting you out of here." She says matter of factly.

"No Red." She weakly pushes her away with her free hand.

"There has to be a way!"

Superman steps up to them. "Step away Poison Ivy. I may have a way to help."

Ivy looks at him with distrust in her eyes, but does as he asks. He nods in thanks before using his laser beams to sever the beam from the building. It wasn't going to necessarily save her, but at least she'd be mobile.

It was all a blur from there. She was handcuffed and shoved into the batmobile. With a barely breathing Harley beside her.


	5. Fight for You're Right to Party

Chapter 5: Fight for You're Right to Party

Harley knew one thing.

She couldn't breathe.

She'd been running from Superman, something went through her body then she said farewell to Red and now things were going black. So black. There was so much pain. Maybe if she closed her eyes it'd go away. So she did and she was right. The pain did go away as did everything else.

Ivy stared at Harley's body. She squinted as much as she could to see if her chest rose and fell. She didn't know if either it was still or so slight that its movement was unintelligible. She knew which one was more likely, but she couldn't bear the thought of that option.

She couldn't see out the windows and Batman had special glasses on. She concluded that he didn't want to her to be able to see where they were going.

She couldn't do anything to help. She couldn't even look at Harley anymore. Only sit there with her wrists bound and listen to the sound of Harley's breathing become shallower and shallower. By the time they stopped she couldn't hear it at all. The doors open and she's being led into a room. Superman's the one leading her there, his hand wrapped around her arm. It didn't matter, she wasn't going to try and fight anyways.

The room is small and squarish, and the wall facing the hall was made out of Plexiglas. Wonderful, a cell. After she'd been led inside Superman slides the Plexiglas door closed with a near apologetic look on his face. She thinks about how much she'd like to kill him.

She stands there, her eyes glistening as the tears rolled down. Who was she kidding? The sooner she accepted it the sooner she'd be able to move on.

Harley is gone.

…

Bruce carefully carried the injured woman from the Batmobile. As he carried her she left behind a trail of blood by his feet. It saddened his heart to see Harley like this. He cared for the woman. Not in a way that'd be considered romantic. Or maybe once he did. In his younger years.

He always saw so much potential in her. But she was a willing slave to the Joker and nothing could separate the two. Until Harley Quinn met Poison Ivy he supposed.

He lifts her onto the operating table and calls Alfred and several associates. Then when everyone is scrubbed up he goes to rest in the batcave and the painstaking surgery commences.

Two Days Later

Superman had watched Batman carry Harley to the infirmary. They hadn't gone to a local hospital, but to a wing in the batcave used for medical necessities. He himself had taken Ivy to the holding cells.

He looks up as Bruce walks in. He seems the slightest bit more content and that in turn makes Clark feel a little happier. "How's she doing?"

Bruce turns to him, "Stable. They may even take her off of the breathing tube soon."

Clark smiles at the news. Harley had survived the ordeal despite the odds. Which had been a big boost to everyone's mood. Sure they were the people who have dedicated their lives to incarcerating people who did the things she did. But they didn't want anyone else to die no matter who they were or what they'd done.

He sees Bruce handing him a mug of coffee which he gladly takes. As he takes a sip he glances at Bruce. He takes another sip as an excuse to glance at him again. It was a good day for both of them. For that he is incredibly grateful.

"Superman?" Bruce uses Clark's alias in case any of the two women found a way to spy on them.

"Yes?" Clark nearly chirps. He already he knows not to use Bruce's name as well.

"What made you realize that she wasn't right for you?"

Clark's more than a bit taken aback by the question. This wasn't like Bruce. Especially now of all times. "I thought you didn't want to hear me talk about that kind of stuff?"

Bruce shrugs, "Never mind it was stupid." He grumbles before walking to the Batcomputer.

Clark rushes toward him. Grabbing his arm in desperation, Bruce quickly shoves him off. "Sorry I just, panicked. I'll tell you why. I-I'll tell you everything." Well not everything. He thinks guiltily.

Bruce finds a chair and sits down, seeing as he has nothing but time to kill. Dick was watching over Gotham city while he was here monitoring Harley. It had taken an eternity to convince him but eventually Bruce relented. He could let Dick do this. He was just so scared of losing someone else in his life. The thought scared him more than anything in the world.

"Okay…" He says quietly, "I'm listening."

Clark plays with his hands, "Well I told you everything about how she loved only Superman and my heart wasn't in it anymore. But the reason as to why I could open my eyes to this is because… well." He swallows, "I'm in love with someone else."

Bruce stares at him like he'd grown a second head. He doesn't know what to say. They never discussed things like this. And he just can't make his mouth form words. Then he realizes that Clark's looking at him with a worried expression. He reminds himself that his silence makes him seem like he doesn't approve. "I'm happy for you." He says gruffly.

The worried expression on Clark's face gets worse.

"What do you want me to say?" He says in defeat.

"I don't know. I don't know." He looks like he's about to get up, and Bruce can't let that happen. He's trying to make an effort for once. To not shut everyone out. But when his heart is so used to pain and suffering, attachments just seemed like more opportunity for hardship.

"It's WonderWoman isn't it?" He says as friendly as he could.

Superman looks as if he's going to sigh, there's a sad expression on his face. But suddenly he perks up. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Come on you two are destined for each other. World's most powerful couple. It was inevitable." He says through his teeth.

"You're mad about something aren't you?"

"No." It sounds like he's speaking through a bullet wound.

Clark's worried expression comes back. "Wait..." He says, understanding in his voice, "You're in love with her."

Bruce stands up in frustration. His fists find something to hit. "Why does everything have to go wrong?!" First Harley almost loses her life and now Clark's deciding he ought to shack up with Diana. He's like a stampeding bull. His anger is fierce and shields the pain in his heart.

Superman puts a hand on his shoulder. Immediately Bruce's anger subsides. All that's left is the sadness. "Listen Batman I had no idea that you felt for her."

"I don't." He says in defeat.

It's those words, those two words and everything becomes clear. "Me neither," he says. They look at each other and it's over.

Clark grabs a hold of Bruce's waist and tugs him closer. Their lips colliding. Bruce lets it happen, his heart pounding so loudly in chest. Clark shoves Bruce against the wall and Bruce threads his fingers through his hair. He's never kissed a man before but he could drown in Clark. His head is hazy. Too hazy to restrict himself from feeling happiness.

His eyelids slide close.

1 Week Later

Harley's eyelids slide open. She's hooked to a lot of machines, and she's alone. She looks around in a panic, she remembers what happened. She looks down at her side, The wound, it's gotten significantly better. Then she remembers, her healing factor. Of course her body wasn't completely healed. But the longer she had to get better the faster the regeneration occurred. She notices that she can breath on her own and that's the biggest relief for her.

She sits up, wincing as the pain spreads through her body. She gasps, it's horrifying. She's never experienced something like this before except... except when Mr. Jay, her eyes narrow, No The Joker through her off the roof. Her hatred for the clown multiplies in that moment. All those years, wasted. Slaving over some idiot who'd given her nothing but pain. She'd given her all to him and in return she got nothing, but her determination to break away from the man is resolute.

She forces herself to get out of the bed. She can't stay here. She needed to think of a way to escape before they ship her back to the asylum. She looks around, seeing that the room has no windows, and she knows that they've probably got Ivy locked up somewhere close by. That is a mistake on their part.

She quickly checks around the room for and bugs or hidden cameras. She's been through this so many times before that she's got them all deactivated in seconds. She makes sure that the system would register their inability to function as a result from insufficient power.

In seconds she's disabled the lock and subsequent alarm in the room. Then she's running as fast as she can down the hallway. Which due to her injury, isn't all that fast for her.

Poison Ivy sulks in the cell. How long are they going to keep her here? She hardly cares at the moment. Harley, Harley's gone. She bangs at the walls, but not the cell door holding her inside. Despite her grief she did not want to make it seem like she was trying to escape. She hadn't the energy, nor the will

Although she senses a dark presence near her. She turns around. Seeing Batman standing silently near her door. "What do you-" She begins angrily.

He cuts her off. "I wanted to tell you this only if I were absolutely sure that her condition wouldn't change. Harley's alive." He says stoicly.

At that Ivy's eyes widen. Joy makes her heart pound almost painfully. She doesn't dare hold back the tears already falling from her eyes. "Is-Is this the truth?"

"I have no reason to lie." He says calmly before leaving the hall.

Ivy grins, a mischievous grin at that. She no longer feels the dark cloud weighing her down. Dampening her ambitions and giving her no hope. The sharp pain in her heart has been removed. She should be shocked, but there wasn't time for disbelief. Only action.

…

Superman floats down in to the batcave, returning from patrolling Metropolis. "So you told her?" He could already tell by the way Bruce held his shoulders. Like a weight had been taken off.

"Yes." Bruce says starkly. All evidence of their previous entanglement gone from his voice. He had no future with Clark. He knew this from the get go. So they stuck to strictly professionalism. Did it hurt? Yes. But Bruce was used to pain.

"Aren't you worried that she's going to try and escape?" Clarks asks curiously. Already knowing that Bruce had a surprise somewhere in the mix.

"Harley's already attempting to escape with Ivy right now. She's cut the monitoring devices in her room, she even made the system think it was an error with the power. She knows that she's in no condition for a fight. And I'm sure Poison Ivy's cooking up something as well." He takes a sip of coffee.

Superman raises an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're-"

"Letting them escape?" He shrugs. "Harley's got a vendetta against The Joker. And she's a lot less willing to kill civilians than he is. With Ivy and Harley working together they'll become royalty among criminals. There can't be two rulers in one kingdom."

"You want one of them to weed the other out."

"Yes. And I'm hoping it'll be Poison Ivy and Harley that'll reign victorious. Like I said, I'd rather have to contend with a criminal who's not willing to kill an entire city block than one who would blow up Gotham in a heartbeat just to get to me."

"That's insane."

Bruce shrugs, "I know."

"But also brilliant."

Bruce doesn't answer to that. Just grits his teeth when Clark pulls him closer. Screw professionalism. He leans into the kiss.

…

Ivy's startled by a tapping on her cell. The Bat never knocked. She turns, a smile on her face as she sees that it's Harley. She notices her making a motion to back away from the door. She does so and soon an explosion is making her ears ring. There's now a gaping hole in her cell door.

Harley motions for her to come and all she can think is I love this woman. She gladly joins Harley out in the hall. Ivy sighs as she wraps an arm around her waist. Screw it, Ivy thinks and turns her head to kiss her. Harley's a little surprised, but happy. And man did it feel good to feel Red's soft lips against hers.

But it doesn't last long because an alarm starts pounding in their ears, and they realize that they've got to go. Now. Ivy's already using a potted plant in the hall to grow vines. The vines lift them up to a small latch in the ceiling. Ivy turns to her. "It's almost too easy Darling."

Harley winks, "Well I ain't complanin'."

They each pull themselves through the latch after breaking it. It lets out into a wooded area where nothing was recognizable. But it didn't matter. They had a taste of freedom and they were going to savor it.

With each other.

Author's Note: Yes I know that I've deviated from canon but I think they have great chemistry. If you are homophobic I don't know how you've withstood this fanfiction so far.

And please review. I want to hear your opinions on the story.


	6. In our garden

edit: I decided that this content didn't quite fit the m category.

Harley fell into her arms. The hospital gown crinkled between them. She's pressed her lips to her cheek in a kiss. It felt like heaven, fucking bliss. But Ivy's pulling away and it all falls to dust. "Hey…" She says softly, her voice lacks any bite, "What's the big idea?" She doesn't sound angry, more like she's teasing her. She holds herself close to Ivy, her finger circling the divot of her shoulder.

They're in the grass, sitting against a tree. Before them outstretched field of grass. And they suspected a stream was nearby somewhere. They'd escaped the batcave merely the night before, and the joy of that achievement still hung in the air between them.

"Harley, we should… talk about this." Ivy glances around the forest nervously. It's been a day since they escaped from Batman. They knew they could leave the forest at any time. Although they don't seem to want to, the forest has a bit of an appeal. The isolation, the abundance of plants, and the lack of pollution choking her brothers and sisters were good points for Ivy. And for Harley well it was the opportunity to have a break from city, especially when that break was with Red.

"Talk?" She says that word like it's a bad taste in her mouth. "What's there to talk about? I like you, you like me. What do two people do when they like each other Red?" You could almost hear the smirk in her voice, "It ain't rocket science."

Ivy nudges her off. "I thought you were dead for two weeks, you just left the Joker and I hardly know if we're even in a relationship."

"Ah Red that head of yours just wants to complicate things by trying to make sense of it. That's what smart people do." She motions to herself, "I used to be the same. Don't try and dissect our relationship or all the shit we just went through right now. Just enjoy the good things as they come." She motions toward the trees in a wide and happy gesture, "The fresh air, the freedom," She didn't just mean their escape. Getting away from the Joker had been like flushing a bad drug from her system. It hurt, like fucking hell, but it saved her.

"So this IS a relationship?" Ivy can't stop grinning.

Harley's sigh is full of content, "Call it what you want Red." She shifts around so that she's sitting on her lap.

Ivy's hand shoots close to the spot where Harley had gotten hurt. She knows what Harley wants. And it worried her. "I don't know." Her eyebrows knit together in worry. The wound wasn't open, and her moderate healing factor caused her flesh to already begin to regenerate over it.

Harley wraps her arms around her shoulders. "Ya know Red, most of the people I've been with didn't give a damn about me in any way?"

Ivy doesn't know what to say, she just sits there. Her heart feels heavy and suddenly she feels sad. Sad for Harley, Sad that other people besides that asshole Joker have mistreated her. Why in the world would someone abuse someone? Let alone the best women in the world?

"But you Red. You care about me. You don't just want something out of me." Her face is visibility sad, and Ivy doesn't know what to do. So she takes a bit of Harley's advice. She doesn't try to think of a logical solution, she just does what feels right.

Poison Ivy reaches up, and tucks a lock of hair behind Harley's ear. Her thumb gently rubs little circles into the apple of her cheek. "I just want you. Nothing else."

Harley looks at her for a moment. Then she leans down to kiss her. Ivy tilts he head up a bit to reciprocate. Their lips meld. There's that undeniable spark. Ivy's spine tingles.

Their kiss deepens. Ivy's pulling out the dirty hair ties keeping Harley's hair in pigtails. Her hair falls softly down her shoulders. One of her hands is busy running its fingers through her hair, the other is resting on the small of her back.

To her disappointment Harley breaks the kiss. "Wait." She says quietly, "Let me get a little more comfortable." She gets off Ivy's lap, moving her body so that she could straddle her.

Ivy's looks up at her with half lidded eyes, saying nothing. Harley leans down so her mouth is next to her ear. "Now that's better." She bites it softly, before rolling her hips into hers. Ivy curses, losing her composure.

She sends Harley a glance as her hands grasp her backside. Harley seems to like this by Ivy's senses. Seeing that she makes a satisfied noise. Harley leans back, pulling that annoying hospital gown over her head and tossing it away.

Ivy stares at her stupidly gorgeous body. She loved every centimeter, even the imperfections because it was Harley's body. It was the most beautiful sight to behold. She kisses her neck, her shoulders, and the flesh peeking out from her bra. Harley grips onto her shoulders.

Ivy reaches back and unclasps her bra, letting her breasts free. She bites her lip, taking the sight. Her mind is too hazy to think of anything else but her. Her heart's hammering in her chest.

It's not long before their lips find each other's again.

….

Harley wakes up at some indistinguishable time of the morning. There's a wonderfully goofy smile on her face. Her mind wonders back to that night and she's more than ready to go again. She rolls over, noticing Poison Ivy sleeping there next to her.

There's something so peaceful about the look on her face that she can't bear to wake her up. She thinks about the night before. It was weird honestly. She'd never had a lover who was patient with her, who cared so much about making her feel good. For one thing it had been the best sex in life. The thought of it sent shivers down her spine.

She realizes that she ought to look around the place. The forest was a big expanse, with fields, and meadows and creeks dotting the landscape. It makes her think of Bob Ross. She stands up, wearing nothing as she explores the area.

She hasn't wondered too far from Red when she's hearing something akin to white noise. Like that static garble from a dead signal on a radio. She approaches the noise. Soon there sat a miniature river bank. The greenery became more and more spare the closer the land was to the water. Which was clear. As the light from the sun hit it and she couldn't help but gasp. She hardly ever saw such beauty in her life. It glittered, like jewels. The land around her bright and saturated. The greenery thick and undisturbed. There was no way she could go back. Not from this.

She goes to find Red…

She's walking briskly, but that's not fast enough, she breaks into a jog, then a run, and then a sprint. Her feet thudded against the soft grass with each step.

Soon she's back at their little "camp" site which wasn't much of a camp site at all. But Red was no longer asleep on the ground. She was awake, standing there against the tree with a bit of a worried but also exasperated expression on her face.

Truth be told Harley couldn't help but to stare at her pursed lips. Which were full and bitten down on. Only making her want to stare even more. Red was only half dressed, with basically the thin pair of underwear she seemed to be so fond of wearing. "Harley." Her voice is low, angry. It's almost like a soft growl. It's a sound which goes straight between her legs.

"Yeah Red?"

"Did you have any idea how scared I was? We just escaped and who knows if that asshole is looking for is and I wake up and you're not here?! What if he'd taken you? What is the joker had you again? What if-"

Harley's kissed her. Effectively calming her down a bit. She pulls away just a bit after a moment. "Enough with the 'what if' 'kay Red?" She says quietly.

"Yeah yeah." She grumbles, no longer having the energy to be upset.

Ivy glances at her. "You went out like that?"

Harley shrugs, leaning against the tree. "Ain't no one around who I don't want to see me like this anyways." She smiles, "You're one to talk."

Ivy blushes for what seems to bee he first time in her life. "Come on we ought to look around this place."

Harley smiles and follows her, not bothering to put the hospital gown back on.

...

I found difficulty writing this chapter, I didn't know which direction to take it and I was strapped for time. I love the way it came out regardless.


	7. Just You and Me Against the World

Bruce stands before the window pane. The glass took up an entire wall of the suite. The walls were almost a peachy tone. And a damn chandelier hung above his head. A _chandelier_. Clark was the kind of guy who'd admire this sort of place. A man who probably paid a large chunk of the scraps he made working for the daily planet to get this room.

A sigh leaves his lips. He rests his hand on the glass. He looks down at a city not his own. The lights of Metropolis shun brightly. Blinding him. What has he done? For the first time in his career as Batman he's neglected his duties. Harley Quinn was still around and the Joker's sitting in Arkham. No doubt planning his escape. If he hasn't already. His skin tingles, gut sinking in guilt.

He turns from the glass. All for what? He looks toward the bed. Shame tightening his stomach. His fists clench. Clark was gone, off to bring back coffee. Bruce hastily shoves his feet into his shoes. He grabs his jacket and swings it over his arms. He steps towards the door, casting a glance behind him. His eyes linger over the room before shutting the door.

…..

Harley lay on her back, sighing. The stream trickling beside her. "Y'know what Red?"

"What?" Ivy looked at the sky, her fingers tracing little circles atop Harley's abdomen. Harley's stomach was taught, with strong muscles beneath her skin. Many people don't know how strong she is.

"We ought to stay here, maybe make this our new hideout. Waddya say?"

Ivy smiles. "Maybe." She turns to her, the biggest grin on her face. "Can you convince me?" Her heart definitely didn't leap at the fact that Harley said "our" hideout.

Harley turns to her, her eyes alight with a smile. "I've got you wrapped around my pinky finger."

"Yes you do." She rolls over, attacking Harley with a set of butterfly kisses to her neck. They keep this up for an hour, periodically switching between kissing and laughing to grasping each other like animals.

Harley rolls onto her back, "We've got work to do." Her smiles catches Ivy off guard, who can only smile and nod in agreement.

….

"That BITCH!" A pale fist hits a grimy cement wall. The knuckles crack but the person on the other end of the fist couldn't care less. His teeth grind, the yellow cracked teeth nearly chipping from the force. His eyes are narrowed cruelly, making his eyes acquire an almost predatory glow on the dim cell.

His slicks his hair back as much as possible. They'd finally taken the restraints off. Which delighted him greatly. But the amount of security constantly monitoring his cell hadn't decreased. In fact it'd grown. He'd been curious as to why this occurred, but he didn't have to wonder too long. He'd overheard some inmates talking beside his cell yesterday. Offhandedly mentioning that the Bat was nowhere to be found in Gotham.

Oh the wasted opportunity. An escape was nearly impossible without someone on the outside. Which he thought he'd had. But that foolhardy woman was probably off somewhere trying to survive without him. At first he understood her tardiness, maybe she needed more time. He is a patient man of course, but his skepticism grew after the first week of nothing. But he passed that off as her needing more time to execute her plan. But then the second week passed, and the third, fourth…

He'd heard some things about what was going on in the outside world. Superman had been here, and Poison Ivy was missing. No one's seen her in Gotham anywhere.

He stiffens when he hears someone coming by. He makes himself small, curling into a ball near the corner of the cell to make himself as invisible as possible.

"Yeah no one's seen her."

"That's funny…"

A large man and a woman equally as large pass by his cell. They held nightsticks, tasers, and he was sure a gun somewhere on their person.

The man turns to the woman. "Yeah it is. Batman hasn't apprehended her and it doesn't seem like he's even trying. But I will admit, with those Lesbos and that freak Joker gone things have gotten a lot quieter."

The woman laughs, "True," She pauses, her eyes going wide, "Wait they've got a thing?"

"Probably not. But they've always been close and then they disappear at the same time. Plus that maniac hasn't tried bustin' the Joker out once. She's definitely at least gettin' it from someone besides her Puddin'." His voice sours on the last word. "If not that Ivy chick then someone. Or she just got sick of the Clown."

There's a loud booming noise and the guards stiffen, turning in the direction of the noise. They gasp at the sight. The Joker was clawing at the Plexiglas that separated him from the world. His fingers clawed with a striking force. Portions of his nails snapping backwards. His screams of anger were muffled against the glass.

His eyes were wild, bulging past the sockets and bloodshot. He kicked at the glass. And audible thud and a slight warping of the glass occurring. Immediately the guards has their tasers out, with a night stick in the other hand.

"Halt-"

"I'll kill her! I'll kill her I'll kill her! I'll feel their blood between my fingers! Her and that plant bitch!"

One gives the other a nod and they charge their tasers.

3 months later...

Harley sits up and stretches, the sound of birds, yes birds, were in the air. She feels a presence in her bed. Their arms wrap around her and she's happy. Damn it she's happy. She turns toward Ivy, her breath quickening a bit before evening out.

Ivy's eyes pop open, and when she sees Harley a warm smile spreads across her face. "Hey love."

Harley giggles, rolling over her, planting each hand on either side of her head. "Hello love." She kisses her. Ivy's hands grasp the back of her head. Gently tugging her down. Not hard enough that Harley wouldn't be unable to pull away. Everything was her choice. Their gazes lock onto each other, so absorbed in the other.

They eventually realize they have things to do. Harley moves and tries to ignore how damn gorgeous Ivy looks when she gets out of bed. If she hadn't been wearing something like she often doesn't when they sleep, then she didn't know what she'd do with herself.

They'd managed to make a little base in the woods. Secret contractors who were sure to stay quiet, expensive botanist equipment, and gag weapons, even a basement for storage.

Of course nothing was really finished yet. Their bedroom was made of hardly polished wood and windows hadn't yet been installed. They had no furniture, only a bed in a small round room for the moment.

The little building was circular and colored to blend in with the forest on the outside, with only one floor excluding the basement for now. It was buried deeper in the woods than where they'd initially settled by the stream but they still frequently visited that beautiful little spot.

They also hadn't been back to Gotham once since the incident. They couldn't afford the risk. It was hard for both of them, especially Harley. She was dying to do something, even rob a convenience store for the hell of it. But Ivy helped with her urges, sometimes having to hold her as she rocked back and forth.

But today, well today was the day.

Harley led the way to basement where their things lay. Throughout the entire thing Harley couldn't help but giggle as they opened the secret door in their tiny bedroom which led to a stairway leading into the basement. It was large, big enough to have a sleek black car sitting in the middle of the room. On either side were their costumes inside glass cases.

Before Ivy can say anything Harley's already gotten her new costume out of case. Her hair had grown longer, beginning to curl at the edges. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much of a hindrance. Ivy watched as Harley carefully split her hair in two sections. Binding each one in her signature ponytails. She grabs the mask, looking at it carefully. Her shoulders sag, her gaze turning wistful. "I miss my old one." Instead of her usual black and red get up, she had only a small black mask, face paint, black lipstick and a costume made of striped stockings, red shoes, and a reimagined clown outfit. She loved it, it was sleeker, not too corny, and worked a lot better than her old one. But still, it wasn't her old one.

Ivy quickly sits beside her. "Come on Harls. You need something new, something different. We've got to erase every trace of the bastard from your life."

Harley's body visibly begins to sag even further. "I guess."

"Trust me Harley. I know what's best for you."

At that Harley's shoulder does the tiniest twist but Ivy's already gone to suit up on the other side of the room.

By the time they're ready they've both forgotten about the incident. They hop into the car, Harley giving her a kiss on the cheek before lvy started the engine.

…..

"Sir."

Bruce startles, which surprises both him and Alfred. "Yes Alfred?"

Alfred raises an eyebrow inquisitively. "Have you considered what happens after Pamela Isley and Harleen Quinzel come back to Gotham?"

Bruce looks back to his computer screen the silence echoing in the cave. "Yes. Like I've said I'd rather deal with criminals who have a stronger sense of morality."

"Do you think once that power is acquired that sense of morality will be as strong?"

Bruce is surprised a bit by his question. Then he's surprised that he's surprised by it in the first place. "If not, then I'll deal with it as it comes." He says simply. "Anything else Alfred?"

"No Sir. But how are things in Metropolis?"

He answers without skipping a beat, "Not my jurisdiction."

"Very well sir." With that Alfred is gone.

….

"You ready Harls?"

Harley Quinn nods in excitement. "Oh darlin' I was born ready." They get out of the car at the same time. Recently they've been out of funds, from the reservations to the medical care Harley's been needing from "private doctors". Even though Ivy had underestimated Harley's healing factor, which made her feel a bit uneasy. It had taken a long, long time and even still she wasn't sure if Harley was completely fine. There were the beginnings of a scar forming from and the sutures had long fallen out. The wound still gave Harley trouble and she couldn't completely be her spry flippy self at the moment.

They marched up to the bank, smiles on their faces. Usually they'd do this a little more covert, and you know, at night, but Harley was itching for some action. And honestly, Ivy was too. And what better a way to tell everyone they were back in town? Plus they had a little something planned.

Harley walked right into the doors, slamming them open and immediately pulling a gun out. She pointed the weapon at the terrified clerk. "Alright listen up everyone, no one gets hurt if you don't try and be a hero." She presses her back to wall. Looking at the clerk she says, "Go into the vault and get as much as you can. No silent alarm here, my," She smiles, "Lady here's gonna know." Harley tosses her several large bags. The woman trembles, but quickly does as ordered. Going into the back, the audible thump of her tossing the bundles of money into the bags could be heard even out in the lobby.

Harley surveys the scene, there were two security guards, and the rest civilians. Few children, shit, it'd have to be calm today. The woman returns, another worker helping to carry the large sums of money with her. Harley motions her head toward Ivy, who takes her signal to check the money. Ivy does, holding bills to the light. The air was still and silent, muggy even inside the building.

"It's real Harls'." Despite her amazement she manages to keep her voice steady and intimidating. With that Ivy's slinging both bags over her shoulders and walks right out. Harley stayed behind, telling everyone it was alright to leave now. At first they were afraid, terrified even. So she yelled that if they didn't leave she'd unload her bullets inside each of them one by one. An empty threat of course, but that got them going, a smile on her face as the last of them were ushered outside.

She hears the motor purring outside, and she takes in a deep breath. Any moment now. She waited, alone in the gilded room. The light coming in from the glass ceiling made her white painted skin glow. She could see the dust motes in the air. Feel each breath entering and exiting her body. Her chest rose and fell harshly. She was waiting for the inevitable.

The air cooled as she heard a shatter. It was like time slowed down. It was like she finally felt the joy she'd been longing for for so long. He'd taken the bait. It was so easy, like he was walking right into her hands. Maybe he'd underestimated them. Or maybe, just maybe he wasn't on his game. No there was no maybe about it, something's wrong, he'd never fall for a trap like this. He's not thinking clearly. _What happened?_ She thinks in a bit of alarm.

She almost felt his presence near her. He was coming, His steps not as silent as they'd used to be. Or maybe he knew there was no use since he'd made such a grand entrance through the skylight. No, he definitely wasn't on his game. Before he gets too close she swings her leg, catching him in the jaw. Again. No, he'd never get caught on the same thing twice. She flips away from Batman's grappling hook. It put pressure on her injury, but she ignored it. She ignored the pain. Because it was worth it.

They wouldn't need to even use the trap, she realizes. He's practically a sitting duck. She could do anything to him. It's the first time in a long time she's fighting Batman yet his body seems to sag, like it doesn't want to support its weight. He's heavy, sluggish. His fighting is half-hearted. It's like he's self-destructing. Imploding.

She practically feels the floor's vibrations as batman ran swiftly toward her. She leaps out of the way. "Aye Bats. I know you've got more in ya'. What's wrong, don't got your Superman to save you?" His body snaps alert, as if waking up. And before she can so much as move he's tripped her. Her world is soon tumbling down. But she's soon recovering and back on her steady feet. She quickly maneuvers to the other side of the room in a series of semi-fluid flips.

He runs to her, as he came closer she lept up, like a cat, grabbing his shoulders midway, with her momentum and using their combined weight to slam him down into the marble ground. There was a thump, and groan of pain. "I don't appreciate you bringing supers in for a fight Bats. I thought you were better than that. Cheater" She dug her heal in the hand that reached for some device. His body's given up again. She can see it. And she already knows that she's won. _This should be harder_ , she thinks in alarm. Is Superman coming again? Is that why he's not trying so hard?

"H-Harley-" She cut him off. Digging her foot deeper into his wrist.

"I thought I was going to die ya know." Her voice lowers, eyes darkening. Her blues eyes becoming glassy. She forgets about how shitty of a hero he is today. All she can think about was the pain, in her body, in Ivy's eyes. "I've got nightmares. I thought they would be over when I recovered from the Joker throwing me off the roof. But now I've got another memory that haunts me." She throws something down onto the ground, it encapsulates his other hand. "She doesn't know."

Her grin widens, turning cruel. For the first time in a long while Bruce begins to panic. "I'm sorry." His voice isn't pleading, it's only… apologetic.

Harley pauses for a moment, considering his words. "I bet ya are." She grimaces before aiming her gun at him. Then shakes her head and brings out a switchblade. "I forgive ya. But an eye for an eye Batman. An eye for an eye." She kneels down, putting her knee on his wrist.

Harley lets out a loud cackling laugh. "I'm bullshitting about that eye for an eye nonsense. But we can't have you meddling in our business for a while now can we Batman?" She looks for the telltale weak spot in his armor. She looked around his non-vital areas and then she finds it. The weak spot and it's on his outer thigh.

"Harley."

"Bite down Bats."

"HARLEY!"

"I told ya."

She takes the blade and digs it downward and deep into his leg. The cry that's heard echoes against the wall of the building. Harley twists slightly before pulling it out. "You should regain full mobility in time. I made sure I severed no tendons and if you take good care there will be minimal scar tissue. But you could bleed to death without help, but don't worry, the cops will be here soon." She pats his head before standing.

"Stay away Batman." With that she takes out a grappling hook. She shoots for the ceiling and in a flash she's gone.

It's not long before she'd reunited with a happy Ivy. It seems for once everything is perfect. No one can stand in their way.

And somewhere in Arkham Asylum a man is laughing as he watches the news.


End file.
